The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for reproducing a tone signal based on performance data, such as MID data, in synchronism with an audio signal.
Among examples of the conventionally-known techniques for reproducing, in synchronism with audio data, other music piece performance data is one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,026,537 corresponding to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2003-316356 (hereinafter referred to as “the patent literature”). The technique disclosed in the patent literature is designed to store MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface (registered trademark)) data in the LSBs (Least Significant Bits) of digital audio data and reproduce the individual data on the basis of association between these data.
In cases where music piece performance data and audio data are delivered via a communication network, such as the Internet, these data are sometimes compressed. However, with the technique disclosed in the patent literature, if audio data are compressed or converted into a tone signal of analog form, synchronized reproduction of the audio data may be undesirably prevented due to loss of necessary information for the synchronous reproduction.